


To the Gates of Hel

by acciojd



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Brotherly Love, Fix-It, Fix-It of Sorts, Loki - Freeform, Loki and Thor - Freeform, Post-Avengers (2012), Post-Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Post-Thor: The Dark World, Thor - Freeform, Thor/Loki - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-05-01
Packaged: 2019-04-30 12:43:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14497251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acciojd/pseuds/acciojd
Summary: DO NOT GO ANY FURTHER IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN INFINITY WARINFINITY WAR SPOILERS!!!I am hard pressed to believe that Loki truly thought his plan would work. In this story, Thor has a problem believing that too. He thinks that Loki was trying to tell him something, and so he sets off to find his brother.Starts off where the movie ends.





	To the Gates of Hel

**Author's Note:**

> This is my coping mechanism. Please let me know what you think.

To the Gates of Hel

 

_The sun will shine on us again._

 

A snap of the fingers.

 

"What did you do? WHAT DID YOU DO?"

 

A simple snap. And half the population of the universe was gone.

 

Thor still had a hard time comprehending what that actually meant. Not just Earth. Not just humans. There was no distinction between weak or strong, no distinction between age. Completely random. And completely gone. Nothing left to bury. Nothing left to morn. Gone.

 

His friends were in various states of shock. The people of Wakanda were leaderless, the earth was essentially leaderless. Panic was setting in as people began to realize what that meant.

 

For better, or worse, Steve Rogers had more or less taken control of the people who remained in their area. Communications with the rest of the world were minimal or nonexistent. Steve, with the help of Okoye, M'Baku, and the rest of the Avengers were doing what they could to keep the people around them safe and secure.

 

Tony was still missing.

 

Thor knew Steve was hurting. The loss of Bucky and Falcon was a weight on his shoulders. Thor knew he should stay, that he should help more, that he might be the one being in the entire universe that could handle the Titan should he return.

 

But for the first time since Thanos had attacked the Asgardian refugee ship, Thor was able to get some sleep. And he needed it. He needed to clear his head, to rest, to grieve properly, to think.

 

He was lying on the bed set up for him. It was smaller than he had in Asgard, or at Avengers tower, but bigger than he had on either Sakaar or on the ship. He stared at the off white ceiling. It was quite, eerily quite, and for the first time since this nightmare began, he allowed himself to relive Loki's last moments.

 

He was positive that the body Thanos laid before him was his brother’s, now nothing more than dust in the vast pool of space. It had not been an illusion, it had not been a trick. Thanos had truly strangled the life from his little brother in front of his very eyes.

 

Rest wouldn’t come to him as his overactive brain whirled. He knew Loki, better than Loki sometimes thought. Growing up side by side for a millennia is not something than can be undone even with a decade of tension. His brother was a lot of things. But his actions were never careless, never without plan. Yet... and yet, his death seemed to be. It was reckless and messy. Everything Thor knew his brother was not.

 

Thor knew now that there was something he was missing. Something Loki had been trying to clue him in on.

 

He could picture Loki, sitting on the foot of his bed, with a patient smile, waiting for him to figure it out.

 

_I assure you brother, the sun will shine on us again._

 

It was not even just that one line. It was everything in how Loki behaved, in what he said, once the Hulk had lost.

 

 

_Odinson._

 

_God of Mischief._

 

Using nothing more than a dagger. Brave, but Loki had to know it was a weak attempt. That it wouldn’t work. Reminding Thor, and perhaps the Titan, that he too was a god. That he too was raised and trained under Odin's watchful eye.

 

 _Undying_.

 

_You will never be a god._

 

Strangled, in his Aesir form. If he had turned to his Jotun form, would his skin have burned Thanos? Maybe not enough to hurt him badly, but enough to save his life? Allow him to draw another breath?

 

_Rightful King of Jotenheim._

 

He was reminding Thor he had that option, and yet he didn’t take it. Why? He was trying to tell Thor something.

 

In his mind’s eye, Thor could see Loki. Still sitting on the foot of his bed, now munching on an apple, with mischief in his eyes. “Come on you oaf, put it together.” He could practically hear his brother teasing.

 

And Thor started putting it together.

 

Valhallah. Hel. Loki had always been confident there was not a place for him in Valhallah. You had to be chosen to enter, and you had to die an honorable death in combat. Thor tried not to argue with him too much. Thor had always been confident that he would be welcome in Valhallah, and he would ensure that his brother could be their too.

 

Until the events on Svartalheim it never occurred to him that Loki would die first. He had been sure then, that his brother’s actions were enough to secure his place in the golden halls.

 

_See you in Hel, monster._

 

Loki had been sure he was going to Hel. While Thor did not agree, that was certainly Loki’s thought.

 

_You are really the worst brother._

 

Odin had been to Hel before, Thor remembered that. He remembered overhearing his father discussing it. He remembered listening at the door with Loki. They were both curious about his father’s travels, but too young to be included. At the time, he did not know the reason for the travel. Now he suspected it had to do with Hela. Thor wished he had asked his father how he traveled to Hel. Something told him even stormbreaker wouldn’t be able to deliver him to the door.

 

The door which had a guardian. Hela, his sister, goddess of Death. She was supposed to preside over Helheim. Yet she was gone from her post. Loki knew that.

 

The proverbial lightbulb went off in Thor’s head, so obvious he wasn’t sure how he missed it. Thor had to go to Hel. He’d bargain and beg if he could, but if not, if that didn’t work, he’s simply drag Loki from Hel itself.

 

Perhaps Loki thought it would be easy without Hela. Maybe he thought he could walk back out himself. Either way, one thing was certain. Thor needed to find Loki. He needed Loki by his side. He needed Loki to help fight Thanos, to get the infinity stones back, to help rebuild Asgard, to simply be with him. Thor could not envision doing these things without him.

 

_Never doubt that I love you._

 

"I'm sorry, Loki." Thor whispered. "I'm sorry I doubted you. I'm sorry for everything. I'm going to find you, I swear it." And with that, Thor threw stormbreaker over his shoulder, and walked out of his makeshift room.

 

He started to leave left the camp, where the remaining Avengers were licking their wounds. He had almost left when he realized he should probably tell someone he was going. A missing Thor would be damaging to the already fragile state of the people left. There was guilt, he knew he was needed here on Earth, but it was unlikely the Titan was rushing back having now accomplished his goal.

 

The ball was in their Court, but they had so much planning to do, so much they needed to do to get in order and regain their strength. A long time would pass before those who remained could plan their next move. And his guilt towards the Earth was outweighed by his guilt and love for Loki.

 

He set off for Captain Rogers. Of all the remaining Avengers, Thor thought Rogers would be the most understanding. After all, he had moved heaven and earth to protect Bucky, even at the risk of isolating the rest of their friends. Even at the risk of his own reputation.

 

Even now, Thor knew Captain Rogers would do anything he could to get Bucky and Falcon back. Plus, Captain Rogers would probably asked the least amount of questions.

 

It didn't take him long to find Steve. Unlike Thor, who had desperately sought isolation, Steve was in the thick of the devastation. Steve would continue to help, wouldn't rest until someone forced him to stop.

 

 

"Captain. A word." Thor said, causing heads to turn to him. Steve turned to give a reassuring smile to those around him before jogging off in Thor's direction.

 

Once his friend reached him, Thor clapped a hand on his shoulder and lowered his voice. "I have to leave for some time. There is something I must do."

 

Steve winced. "Loki?" Thor nodded, knowing it wasn't worth trying to hide it. "Thor, he.." Steve started.

 

"I know. Noone knows Loki's crimes more so than me. I cannot explain our relationship to you. Only after a millenia of living side by side could it begin to make sense. No one has been more betrayed by him than me. But he's also my brother. And he's sacrificed so much, for me."

 

Steve smiled. "I'm not going to talk you out of it, am I?"

 

Thor shook his head.

 

"Then be safe, and hurry back to us, if you can."

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

As Thor left the avengers and survivors, he found himself at an impasse.

 

One that left him frustrated, more so with himself than anyone else. He wished he paid more attention in his schooling, wished he was more clever. Wished for this mission, he was more like Loki. Loki who could world walk, who knew passageways all around the nine realms. Loki who paid attention to their lessons, while Thor worried about when his next sparring match was. A particular memory from their childhood seemed to be taunting him.

 

_"Thor, you must pay more attention." Their tutor implored._

 

_Thor and Loki were seated at a round desk in a private room in the palace, where they did most of their studying." Thor turned back from the window towards their tutor and his brother. With a jolt, he noticed diligent notes spread out in front of his brother. His own paper was embarrassingly blank._

 

_Feeling slightly embarrassed, Thor did his best to refocus himself for their lesson. His mind kept drifting towards the training grounds outside where he knew Fandral and Sif were. He heard Loki sigh, and met his eyes. Loki frowned, but then went back to his note taking._

 

_What seemed like hours later they were finally finished with their lessons and leaving their tutor. Thor was itching to run back and change into his armor. He was just about to race off when Loki caught his arm._

 

_"This stuff is important, you know." Loki chided. "The future King should know how to get around his own realms, don't you think?"_

 

_"That's what the bifrost is for, brother!" Thor said with a laugh, throwing his arm over Loki's shoulders._

 

_"And should you be unable to reach the bifrost, or need to travel somewhere outside the realms, don't you think you should be able to do it?" Loki continued, voice clearly exasperated._

 

_"Well then, my brother, that's what you are for." Thor said with a laugh. "I certainly wouldn't need to go anywhere without you anyway." When Loki frowned, Thor continued. "Come brother, change into your armor. It's a beautiful day. Join me on the training grounds."_

 

_And with that, Loki smiled, and the two went off together._

 

Loki would know where the entrance to Helheim is, of that Thor was certain. Those notes of his would have been burned to the ground in Asgard, but they would be so well documented in his mind. He would know how to get there.

 

Thor knew Odin had been, so he knew it was possible, but he had not the faintest clue where to start. Loki, it seemed, could sense thin barriers within the realms, and so could travel from one to another without the help of the bifrost.

 

Thor had the bifrost, but even that would not deliver him to the steps of either Helheim or Valhallah.

 

The frustration made his blood boil. Once again he could practically see Loki's frown, his disappointment. Once again he was failing his brother.

 

Lacking further direction, Thor used Stormbreaker to return to the cliffs in Norway where he and Loki last saw their father alive.

 

It had been chosen as a place where they could rebuild. His father had chosen that place for a reason. Perhaps there was magic there. Perhaps a barrier that Thor could use.

 

He found himself staring at the ocean, remembering his last moments with his father. Odin's death had been a stunning blow to him. With a wince, Thor remembered his reaction as Odin faded. He was angry, livid even. He had blamed Loki, and now he could not even imagine why. His anger, which should have been towards his father for keeping the secret of Hela, instead was directed a Loki.

 

_You really are the worst brother_

 

The last words he said to Loki haunted his steps, brought tears to his eyes. He looked down on the Ocean but could feel nothing, could see nothing. There was no pull in any direction, no indication that there was magic in their air. Nothing other than a quiet breeze and Thor's own guilt for him to drown in.

 

He sat down on a soft patch of grass to think and before long, the soft waves of the ocean lulled him into a light sleep.

 

Thor woke up to the sound of a little girl laughing. He sat up, confused and disoriented. Near as he could tell there wasn’t a soul for miles. But when he opened his eyes he saw blond child, no older than 7, running and laughing through the soft breeze.

 

"Hello son of Odin!" she said, with a giggle on her lips. She was wearing a sky blue dress and a crown made out of flowers. She stopped to pick a daisy from the ground and than skipped in his general direction.

 

"Hello child" Thor responded. Others may call him thickheaded, but he was not so thickheaded to know the appearance of this child was random.

 

"Not just of Odin." This was another voice, and Thor turned and saw a woman in the prime of her life. Perhaps his age, and with beauty that boarded on the line of being other worldly. She was wearing a long white dress, with a blue sash around the waist that matched the exact shade of the little girls dress. Her hair was black, where the little girl was blond. And instead of a crown of flowers, she wore a silver diadem. He could sense her power as soon as he spotted her. He turned back to the little girl and could see a power radiating in her too.

 

"Also the son of Frigga, too." A third voice. Thor turned to see a third woman. Older than the second. Perhaps the age of Odin when he passed. But despite her age, she had no frailty in her steps. There was a power to her that mirrored the others. She wore a long sleeve white dress, with a blue scarf. The same color blue. Her hair was grey, or maybe it was silver. A crown of gold lay resting on the top of her head. Not a hair out of place.

 

"Frigga. He always forgets that part." The little girl said with a bubbly laugh. "You once said that you knew you had her trust."

 

"But you think only your brother had her tricks." The middle woman finished. "You forget that you shared her blood. Even your brother couldn't claim that. Frigga's blood runs through your veins" Feeling overwhelmed, but cautiously optimistic, Thor rose to his feet.

 

The three woman had formed a semi-circle around him, with the little girl on his left, the woman in her prime straight ahead, and the older woman to his right.

 

"Who are you? And how do you know who I am?" Thor asked.

 

"Asgardians" The elderly woman said with a breathy laugh. "They pray and pray to us, and yet they never recognize us when we answer."

 

"Loki always did." The little girl said, petulantly.

 

"Loki wasn't an asgardian now was he. Not completely." The middle woman direct. "I'm Verdandi"

 

"Skuld" said the elderly woman

 

"And I'm Urd." Said the child. "Past"

 

"Present" Verdandi said with a smile.

 

"And future." Skuld finished with a maternal smile. "Do you recognize us now, my child?"

 

"The Norns" Thor realized, completely dumbfounded. "The fates." They were right, he certainly prayed to them. He was certain they existed, for his mother often talked about their visit to Asgard on the day of his birth. Three woman, in different forms, but neither was less important or powerful. In all his long years, he had never met them. Loki, it seemed, had.

 

"You knew my brother." Thor said, with a little apprehension in his voice. He was certain that the norns could help him. But would they? Did Loki do something to upset them?

 

"Always thinking the worst of your Loki" Verdandi said with a shake of her head. She looked disappointed, and Thor realized that they could hear his thoughts. "Perhaps if you didn't, he'd be with you right now."

 

That hurt, and Thor knew she was right.

 

"I loved Loki. I wronged him in many ways, but I intend to set that right." He said, firmly. "Can you help me? Is that why you here?" He tried to keep the desperation out of his voice, but he could hear it slip in at the end.

 

"There are many things we can do" Skuld said this time. "And many different outcomes should we meddle where we should not."

 

"The norns do not usually get involved in the affairs of those who are not eternal." Verdani said with a soft smile.

 

Thor could feel his frustration mounting. "Then why come see me at all? Why are you here at all?" Thor cried, anger burning within his veins. He knew the norns seldom intervened, that they were eternal and all knowing, but why would they come see him at all if not to help. Were they here to simply gloat, and send him back?

 

The tone must have frustrated the norns, since all three frowned at his comment.

 

"We are here because this is an anomaly. In all our outcomes, in all possibilities that we can see, there was always a Thor and there was always a Loki. Sometimes bitter rivals, sometimes best of friends, always brothers." Said Urd.

 

"Sometimes even lovers." Skuld said, a laugh on her voice. Thor felt his heart skip a beat upon learning that.

 

"But never one without the other." Verdandi finished. "The Titan has messed with the order. We have many futures. Some where the Titan snaps his fingers, others where he does not. It matters little to us. But in all the futures we've seen, there was never Thor without Loki. Never Loki without Thor. You are fated together. That cannot be changed. It shouldn't have been."

 

"Loki wasn't supposed to die." Thor replied, confirming what he already knew.

 

"No. He was not. Not in this future, not in any future. He was trying to trick death, but it did not work, and now the future is altered in a way it should never be. We will send you to Yggdrasil. From there you must walk to branches to your brother." Skuld explained. "Use your magic. You forgot you are the son of Frigga, wielder of Strombreaker, and master of the storm. Magic runs through you veins as they did your mother, your father and your brother."

 

Trying to trick death. Now that was more Loki’s style.

 

Before he could contemplate that any further, the smallest norn, the little girl, stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. He bent towards her and the second her lips met his bearded cheek, he fell into darkness.

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Thor first woke to warmth. The type you would get for lying out in the sun too long and falling asleep. It was comforting in a way.

 

Then hands, running through his shorn hair. Small hands, softer than expected. He cracked his eyes open.

 

"Hello brother!" Loki said. "I was starting to worry you wouldn't wake." Thor could do nothing but stare. It was definitely Loki, but not how he had left earth. This Loki was young, a child, no older than the Midgardian equivalent of 11. Thor looked down at himself, expecting to be young too, but he was not. He looked around and found that they were nestled in the roots of the tree.

 

"Yggdrasil" Thor breathed and Loki grinned.

 

"You figured that out quick." He said with a mischievous grin. "I'm here to help you. I heard you were looking for me, but I also heard you were a thickheaded oaf. But you figured out where we were quicker than I expected, so maybe you aren't as thick as I was told."

 

"And who told you that?" Thor said. He was enjoying looking at his brother's face. At this age they had been inseparable, worry free, and so happy. It made Thor's heart ache with unbearable longing to look at him.

 

"You did." Said the boy Loki. "I'm an echo I think. Of your Loki. You made me to help you find him. So find him we shall. Are you ready?"

 

An echo. Thor thought about that for a minute. The norns reminded him he had magic within him, magic that ran through his veins, that was in his blood. He had remembered a young Loki, so enamored with learning that he seemed to soak up their lessons like a sponge. He remembered yearning for his brother as a guide. So he created him, or an echo of him, to help guide him. Well, that was something new.

 

"Where should we begin?" Thor said, as the boy Loki got to his feet and began to look around.

 

"What do you mean where? You made me to guide you. Not to tell you where to go." The boy Loki said, in the exact same exasperated tone he would when they were kids. Thor felt his heart swell with fondness and nostalgia.

 

"Right." Thor thought for a moment. The boy looked at him expectantly. "To helheim then, I guess."

 

He knew immediately he said the wrong thing. The child's green eyes filed with disappointed tears almost instantly. The anger and betrayal was so reminiscent of times when they were boys that Thor found himself once again overwhelmed with how much he had hurt Loki without realizing it.

 

"I'm in Hel. You think I went to Hel." The child Loki said, tears spilling over and running down his cheeks. "How could that have happened? You’ll go to Valhallah, and we will never see each other again."

 

Thor realized his mistake. This Loki, an impression or echo of himself at the comparable age, did not think he was going to Hel. This Loki was still shadowing Thor's footsteps, didn't know about his jotun heritage, still doing anything to please their parents. The idea that he died and went anywhere other than Valhallah would still have been foreign to him.

 

"No no no, Loki. I don’t think you went to Hel." Thor said, trying to now assure his bother. "You died so bravely. You saved my life. You traded yours for mine, and you gave me all the tools I needed to fight Thanos." He tried to reassure his brother, pulling the smaller frame close to him and hugging him tightly.

 

"But then why...why would you..."

 

"I think you may have gone their purposely. So that I could find you more easily." Thor said, and as the words left his mouth he realized they were true. Loki, the real Loki, his Loki. Had made his play. He gave Thor all the tools to tell him that this was planned.

 

_I assure you brother, the sun will shine on us again._

 

_God of Mischief_

 

_Undying_

 

_You will never be a god._

 

It was so obvious now as if Loki himself were explaining it to him. He reminded Thor that he was a God, that they both were. That their strength was unparalleled even by Thanos.

 

He gave Thor the rage and determination he needed to get strombreaker and save universe. And he reminded Thor that he knew what he was doing. That they would be reunited. Thor didn't have the power yet to defeat Thanos. He needed the direction, the fire. He needed to get off the ship alive. Loki gave him all of that.

 

But Loki would have gone to Hel, purposely. Without Hela, he might have figured there would be a way to escape. A way to get back to Thor.

 

If Loki had gone to Valhallah, gone to see Frigga, perhaps he wouldn't have wanted to leave. But Loki knew he had to get back to Thor, and he had to either get back to Thor himself, or go to a place where Thor could find him.

 

"Little Loki, my darling brother." Thor said, taking the small boy by the hand. "You were so much cleverer than me. Back then, when we were your age. And now, as adults." He drew the boy close to him into a tight hug. "I think you went to Helheim to help me. I think you once again sacrificed everything, just to help me."

 

The small Loki looked back at him and wiped his eyes. "Okay. Okay, Thor." A sniff as he composed himself. "Then let's go to Helheim."

 

With that, Loki took Thor's hand and starting walking on the branches. Thor was torn between not wanting to let his brother out of sight, and wanting to look around. The branches and roots seemed to extend in every which direction. He could see other worlds, in small bubbles extending from them.

 

"Careful, Thor. You must pay attention" Loki whispered to him, keeping him grounded. "If you get lost, I may not be able to find you again."

 

Thor took that warning seriously and remained focused on the Loki in front of him. They walked on.

 

Time had little meaning. He could swear they had been walking for hours. Only breaking when Loki would stop and contemplate which direction they needed to go in next, yet Thor never felt the need to break longer, he never felt the need to eat, or sleep. Still, he figured he should check with Loki.

 

"Are you doing alright, little brother? Do you need a break?"

 

Loki met Thor's eyes and practically growled at him. "I'm an echo Thor, I'm not real. I don't need a break."

 

I'm not real. That stung him, hard.

 

The real Loki was out there, somewhere, hopefully alright. Waiting for him.

 

"Do you know how much farther" Thor asked, suddenly anxious.

 

"Not long, I don't think. When father went down here he was gone for a few weeks. I think he traveled by horse. He must not have walked the branches." Loki said, reminding Thor of the trip the All-father took. "I didn't ask him if it was the quickest way."

 

Thor simply nodded, not wanting to press further. That he knew of, this Loki still believed Odin was his biological father. This Loki would have had no idea of Hela, and the trauma they would endure.

 

As Thor was contemplating, Loki suddenly came to a stop. "I see it, Thor! I see the gates!" Thor glanced over him and saw what could only be the tunnel entrance to Helheim, guarded by what looked like thick iron gates. When Thor looked down at little Loki again, he found him gone.

 

Even though Thor knew he was just an echo, a memory created by Thor himself as a guide, Thor couldn't help feel a pang of loss now that the child Loki was gone.

 

He pushed that feeling down to concentrate on the real Loki.

 

Thor walked to the gates and placed his hand on the cool material that made up the gates. They didn't yield to his touch. He took stormbreaker and was about to slam her into the gates when a voice stopped him.

 

"Oh no no no, we can't have that. Please don't do that." Thor looked to see a figure approaching the gates from the other side. It was clearly not human, it looked almost wolflike despite its human words.

 

Thinking it best to announce himself before slamming into the gates, Thor decided to try that next. Loki always said he was quick to use his hammer, when his words would work just fine. "My name is Thor Odinson. I'm here for my brother, Loki Odinson." He spoke to the wolf creature.

 

"I know who you are. I know why you've come." The wolf said, now inches from Thor, separated from him by only the gate. "The question becomes, why should I give him to you?"

 

Thor felt a pang of relief at the words. "He's here then. He's waiting for me?"

 

"I don't think you are in a place to ask questions." The wolf responded. "I'm Frenrir. I was a loyal companion to Hela, and in her absence I guard this halls. "Don't think I don't recall what you and your brother did to her."

 

Thor frowned. He remembered a war animal by Hela's side. Perhaps she had an affinity to wolves. "Tell me, thunderer, what would you give me for your brother's return."

 

He would give anything. The wolf must know that. It was not a matter of what he would give, but what the wolf wanted.

 

“Anything.” He said, voice strong. “Anything.”

 

Fenrir let out a howl. It didn't sound like an ordinary wolf. The sound made Thor's bones vibrate.

 

For a while nothing happened. Then, two wolves, both as white as snow came forth. Between them was a figure Thor would recognize anywhere.

 

"Loki" he breathed. It was impossible for Loki to have heard him, at the distance he was, but nevertheless, Loki raised his eyes towards him.

 

"THOR" He let out a desperate cry, running towards the gate. Then suddenly they were across from each other, nothing separating them but the gates of Hel. Thor could feel him. He clasped his arms within his as tightly as I could.

 

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry" Loki began, and Thor could feel his eyes welling up. "I thought without Hela here, I'd be able to walk back out. I thought that I'd be able join you to face Thanos when we were strong enough."

 

Tears spilled from Thor's eyes as he took in his brother's form. He was still in the blue leathers he had donned since Sakaar. His skin was pale, and his neck was completely purple with bruises. He looked the same as he did in death, except he was conscious and talking.

 

"I was hoping to distract him from you, that he'd be satisfied with the death of half of Asgard's princes. Did he win?" Loki was rambling, gripping Thor's forearms with all his might.

 

Thor could barely bring himself to answer. He could practically see how Loki's mind was working on the ship and it broke his heart. He couldn't bare to tell him that it was all for naught. That they lost anyway, because Thor had been too idiotic not to go for the head.

 

"LET HIM OUT." He commanded to Frenrir, rather than responding to Loki.

 

"Of course of course. You took Hela from us, but you think we will just hand Loki back to you? Without payment?" Thor bowed his head, still not letting go of Loki.

 

"What do you want?" After all, Thor had little else to loose.

 

"The battle axe should do nicely" Frenrir said, referring to stormbreaker, still on Thor's back.

 

Without even a question, Thor took the axe off his back and offered it to Frenrir. The wolf simply looked at him questioningly.

 

"You would give the one weapon you need to defeat the Titan?" Frenrir asked.

 

At those words Loki pulled away from Thor. "He's still alive? Thor you can't, you need it. He has to be defeated." Loki said, looking from the axe to Thor with horror.

 

Thor didn't waiver, holding the axe out for Frenrir to take. For a while there was no movement, everyone seemed to be waiting for another party to move.

 

"Take him. Take the axe. Defeat the Titan. He has no respect for life, and because of that he has no respect for death." Frenrir said, finally, allowing the gate to open and Loki to slip free. "I wanted to see the depth of your commitment. I never like Hela anyway. "

 

And with the Frenrir and the two white wolves disappeared and with them the gates and entryway to Hel seemed to fade to nothing.

 

Sometimes diplomacy did work better than smashing.

 

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Loki led them out. Like his child self, he knew the branches, and knew how to slip among them.

 

They emerged on the cliffs of Norway, where Thor had left from. Stepping out into the sunlight finally changed Loki's appearance. The bruises faded, his clothing returned to his preferred black and green. His hair looked healthy and shiny, his face clean. He looked at himself before looking at Thor.

 

"Thank you."

 

Those two words finally caused Thor to break down. He fell to his knees in front of Loki, who joined him, uncharacteristically trying to comfort him. "I'm so sorry Loki, I'm so sorry. I thought such terrible things. I should have seen it coming." Thor cried.

 

"Thor, stop. You literally dragged me from the gates of hell. I think I can forgive a few moments of doubt. It's not like I'm blameless in all of this. I got stuck at the gates. Me, the trickster, foiled by something as material as a set of gates." Loki explained, with a comforting pat on Thor's back.

 

For a while the two sat quietly.

 

Then Thor spoke again. "Half the universe is dead. I was so close. He got the final stone and I slammed stormbreaker into his heart. He looked at me, told me I should have gone for the head, and snapped his fingers." Thor sobbed, the stress and guilt coming to surface.

 

"The gauntlet now. Does he still have it?" Loki asked.

 

With tremendous guilt Thor nodded.

 

"Well then, brother mine, we've got a mission now don't we?" Loki said, with a laugh. "I need a weapon, something stronger than a dagger. Then we go after him. We get the gauntlet. We get the time stone, and you go for the head."

 

Thor smiled at his brother. It was the first real smile he had in what seemed like weeks. He knew it wouldn’t be as easy as they just laid out, but it was comforting to think that it could be done. That they could do it together. They sat collecting themselves, shoulders touching, as the sun rose over the cliffs of Norway and shined on them once more.

 

 

 _Fin_.

_This was cathartic for me. Please let me know if you liked it!_


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